A Hide-Away Air-Conditioning System

ABSTRACT

An air-conditioning system adapted for cooling or heating a dwelling, the system comprising: a housing for a compressor for the air-conditioning system; a head unit for cooling and/or heating the air; a heat exchanger for changing the temperature of the air; a medium for exchanging heat, wherein the housing, head unit and heat exchanger are physically separated within the dwelling but joined by pipelines.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to air-conditioning systems and, more particularly, to a hide-away air-conditioning system for multi-level apartment blocks, hotel chains and residential dwellings.

BACKGROUND

Multi-level apartment buildings often have balconies on which air-conditioning units are placed. Those air-conditioning units form part of a conventional high wall split/ducted air-conditioning system. Those air-conditioning units are unsightly, take up space on the balcony and eject heat onto people standing close by. They also create a hazard for small children who may climb upon them, and subsequently fall over the balustrade of the balcony.

Other types of air-conditioning systems which are often used in multi-level apartments include Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) systems, Reticulated Water Circuits or Chilled Reticulated Water Circuits. In these systems, the heat outlet is located on a roof of the apartment (typically, in the form of a cooling tower or dry cooler).

VRF systems are expensive to install, repair and maintain. Chilled water cooling tower systems have the ability to harbour legionnaire's disease if they are not properly maintained. There is also a very high usage of water in these systems because they comprise a cooling tower which evaporates water to take the heat away.

VRF systems use a refrigerant to cool the air. This gas is piped to each apartment in the building and passed through an electronic expansion valve. This gas has the potential to leak into the air space of the apartments. The refrigerant is noxious and can be even lethal in high concentrations (i.e. concentrations which exceed 0.44 kg/m³).

Another problem with VRF systems is that they have a communal power source which makes fair and equal billing to each apartment difficult. It also requires an administrator to check the power usage of each apartment before the residents can be billed.

There is also a significant cost to install VRF, Reticulated Water Circuits and Chilled Reticulated Water Circuits. This is because the pipes which run from the central plant area on the roof of the building have to travel from the top of building, through each apartment to the base of the building. Each pipe requires a significant amount of labour and materials to install. There is also a significant cost to fill the pipes with refrigerant.

In addition, Reticulated Water Circuits or Chilled Reticulated Water Circuits systems comprise cooling towers which appear to be unsightly on roof tops when inspected from other buildings. VRF systems have large condenser units on rooftops, which can also be unsightly.

An air-conditioning system is required which does not involve either a condenser or cooling tower on the roof of the dwelling, does not present a large cost to install and maintain, and does not present a potential risk of suffocation source to residents.

The object of the invention is to overcome or substantial ameliorate the aforementioned problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, there is provided an air-conditioning system adapted for cooling or heating a dwelling, the system comprising:

(a) a housing for a compressor for the air-conditioning system; (b) a head unit for cooling and/or heating the air; (c) a heat exchanger for changing the temperature of the air; (d) a medium for exchanging heat,

wherein the housing, head unit and heat exchanger are physically separated within the dwelling but joined by pipelines.

It is advantageous to have the housing, head unit and heat exchanger physically separated because:

(a) It removes the air-conditioning system from a balcony of a dwelling. In conventional systems the housing, the head unit and the condenser are all physically joined in one unit, which is typically placed on a balcony. Those air-conditioning units are unsightly, take up space on the balcony and eject heat onto people standing close by. They also create a hazard for small children who may climb upon them, and subsequently fall over a balustrade of the balcony. (b) It allows the condenser to be mounted in any position, whether it be on a ceiling of a balcony, a side wall of the balcony, built into a privacy screen, or built into an eave. Consequently, it does not take up any floor space and eliminates any hot/cold air passing over a person on the balcony. (c) It eliminates the need to use variable refrigerant flow systems and standard multi-head systems (including standard high wall split systems or standard ducted systems) which have an outdoor condensing unit that is located on a roof, a designated platform, a car park, a balcony or another central location. (d) It eliminates the potential for suffocation. In conventional air-conditioning systems, the refrigerant (which is toxic) is passed via a pipeline to the indoor cooling head. The longer the pipe, the more refrigerant that is required to fill the pipelines (i.e. the supply and return pipes from the condenser). The amount of refrigerant in the pipelines increases the volumetric refrigerant charge of the pipeline. If the volumetric charge is too high, then refrigerant could escape into the dwelling and suffocate the occupants by displacing the oxygen in the dwelling. For example, if the an air-conditioning condensing unit is located more than 20 m away from the indoor cooling head, then it is possible that the refrigerant charge could exceed 0.44 kg/m³ which is industry standard for potential suffocation (for example, as specified by Australian Standard No. AS1677). (e) It provides a system which is more aesthetically appealing. This is because a casual observer would not even know there was an air-conditioning system on the balcony and within the apartment.

The medium for exchanging heat may be water and/or refrigerant. Preferably, the system also includes a radiator for changing the temperature of the medium. More preferably, the radiator is a gas-to-air radiator or a water-to-air radiator. The radiator includes a fan. In preferred forms of the invention, the heat exchanger is a water-to-gas heat exchanger. The system may also include a water circulation pump for pumping water through the one or more counter flow heat exchangers. The housing includes an electronic expansion valve to expand the medium. The electronic expansion valve is bi-directional in preferred forms of the invention. The system may also comprise a reversing valve, located in the housing, to change the direction of flow of the refrigerant to heat or cool the dwelling. The housing may include solenoid valves to control the flow of water and refrigerant for the air-conditioning. The housing may also include check valves for control of one-way flow of water and refrigerant in the pipes.

Any of the features described herein can be combined in any combination with any one or more of the other features described herein within the scope of the invention.

The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that the prior art forms part of the common general knowledge.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an air-conditioning system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of the air-conditioning system of FIG. 1, operating in cooling mode.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of the air-conditioning system of FIG. 1, operating in heating mode.

FIG. 4 is a first perspective view of an embodiment of a remote heat exchanger for use with the air conditioning system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a second perspective view the remote heat exchanger of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a first side view of the remote heat exchanger of FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 7 is a second side view of the remote heat exchanger of FIGS. 4, 5 and 6.

FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram of another embodiment of the air-conditioning system according to the present invention, operating in a cooling mode.

FIG. 9 is a circuit diagram of the air-conditioning system of FIG. 8, operating in a cooling mode.

FIG. 10 is an isometric view of an embodiment of a compressor housing for use with the air conditioning system of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a first side view of the compressor housing of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a second side view of the compressor housing of FIGS. 10 and 11.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

An air-conditioning system 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown within a dwelling 12 in FIG. 1. The system 10 includes a housing 14 containing a refrigerant for the air-conditioning, a head unit 16 for cooling and heating the air, and a remote condenser 18. The remote condenser 18 includes an outdoor water coil 20 for dissipating the heat and a fan 22 for passing air over the outdoor water coil 20. The condenser 18 is placed outside the dwelling 12 over a balcony 24 for ventilation.

The operation and components of the air-conditioning system 10 in a cooling mode is shown in more detail in FIG. 2.

The housing 14 includes a compressor 26 which heats the refrigerant passing through a discharge pipeline 28. The discharge pipeline 28 is connected to a heat exchanger 30 (which may be a plate heat exchanger, for example). A solenoid valve 32 is closed to allow refrigerant to flow to a suction port of the compressor 26. A solenoid valve 34 is open which directs the refrigerant to flow to the heat exchanger 30.

The heat exchanger 30 has two circuits: a refrigerant circuit and a water circuit. The water circuit is connected to a circulation water pump 40 and an outdoor water coil 42. The water circuit utilises the outdoor water coil 42 and fan 44 to reduce the water temperature by approximately ten degrees Celsius. The outdoor water coil 42 is typically located in a free air ambient area (such as on the balcony 24). This forms a continuous circulation process which allows the refrigerant circuit to condense the heated refrigerant to a liquid (or semi-liquid) form.

The refrigerant passes to an electronic expansion valve 46 via the liquid pipeline 48 which then expands the refrigerant to absorb heat from an indoor refrigerant coil 50 (which is the air conditioner head). After absorbing the heat through the indoor refrigerant coil 50, the refrigerant goes to a suction pipeline 52. The suction pipeline 52 goes to the compressor 26 to be re-compressed and heated to flow to continue the heat-exchange cycle.

A three way valve 54 is in the position passing the water through the heat exchanger 30. The solenoid valve 56 stops the refrigerant going to the discharge pipeline 28. The check valve 58 stops the water flow to exchanger 30. The solenoid valve 60 is closed to stop refrigerant flowing to the electronic expansion valve 62.

The operation of the air-conditioning system 10 in a heating mode is shown in FIG. 3. The three way valve 54 directs the follow of the refrigerant to a cooling exchanger 64 during the heating mode. During the heating mode, the solenoid valve 34 and the solenoid valve 66 close, so that the hot refrigerant is forced to pass through the solenoid valve 56 (which is open) and then through the indoor refrigerant coil 50.

The solenoid valve 66 is closed, stopping refrigerant going to the suction line 36. The discharge refrigerant flows through the heating coil 50 which condenses the heated refrigerant to a liquid form (or semi liquid form), which passes to the solenoid valve 60. The solenoid valve 60 is open to allow refrigerant to flow to the electronic expansion valve 62. The electronic expansion valve 62 expands the refrigerant to absorb heat from the water coil which goes to the cooling exchanger 64. The solenoid valve 32 is open so the refrigerant can flow through the suction refrigerant pipeline 68 to the suction port on compressor 26.

The solenoid valve 38 is closed to stop the flow of refrigerant to the heat exchanger 30. The circulation water pump 40 and the outdoor water coil 42 now becomes a cold water coil, which is typically located in a free air ambient area to increase the water temperature by approximately 10 degrees Celsius. This forms a continuous circulation process.

The outdoor water coil 42 is made up of rectangular body (see FIGS. 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7). The outdoor water coil 42 is fitted on an angle which allows the air to pass over the entire coil face. The air is passed directionally from an air inlet 69 through the outdoor water coil 42 to an air outlet 72. The air flow is typically created by the use of one or more low-profile, barrel shaped fans 22 (or a similar device, such as tangential blower or a forward curved blower). The low profile fans 22 make the condenser 18 a low profile unit, so that it can be mounted unobtrusively on the balcony 24.

By passing water to the outdoor water coil 20, the condenser 18 can be mounted in any position in a vertical or horizontal plane or any angle or length or distance from the circulation water pump 40 and heat exchanger 30 and the cooling exchanger 64. By contrast, in conventional systems, the condenser, the compressor and most other components of the air-conditioning system are held together as one unit which is placed on the balcony. Units of this type cannot be readily mounted in any position and are typically placed on the ground, or on a wall bracket. These types of units present an aesthetic problem and are also a hazard for small children who may climb on top of them and subsequently fall over a balustrade of a balcony.

FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of the invention. In this figure, the invention is represented as a circuit diagram of an air-conditioning system in a cooling mode. A housing 66 includes a compressor 68 which heats the refrigerant passing through a discharge pipeline 70. The discharge pipeline 70 is connected to a reversing valve 72. The reversing valve 72 has a bridge 74 and three ports 76, 78 and 80. In the cooling mode, the bridge 74 blocks the ports 76 and 78, so that refrigerant flows along pipeline 82 from the compressor 68 to a water-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 84.

The water-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 84 has two circuits: a water circuit 86 and a refrigerant circuit 88 (the water-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 84 is a water and gas heat exchanger). The water circuit 86 is connected to a circulation water pump 90 and an outdoor water coil 92. The water circuit 86 utilises the outdoor water coil 92 and fan 94 to decrease the water temperature by approximately ten degrees Celsius. The outdoor water coil 92 is typically located in a free air ambient area (such as on the balcony 24 in FIG. 1).

Refrigerant flows from the water-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 84 along the liquid pipeline 89 through an electronic expansion valve 94 and then into a refrigerant-to-air heat exchanger 96, which acts as an evaporator coil in cooling mode. A fan 98 is used to circulate cold air through the refrigerant-to-air heat exchanger 96, which allows the refrigerant to absorb heat from the refrigerant-to-air heat exchanger 96 (which is the air conditioner head).

The electronic expansion valve 94 is bi-direction, meaning that it can allow the flow of refrigerant in both directions. In cooling mode, the refrigerant flows in an anticlockwise direction. In the heating mode (discussed below), the refrigerant flows in a clockwise direction.

After absorbing the heat through the evaporator coil 96, the refrigerant goes along the refrigerant circuit 88 to port 78 on the reversing valve 72. The refrigerant flows out of port 76 on the reversing valve 72 and then back into the compressor 68 along the refrigerant circuit 88. This forms a continuous flow circuit for the refrigerant.

The operation of the air-conditioning system in a heating mode is shown in FIG. 9. The compressor 68 directs the follow of the refrigerant to along discharge pipeline 70 to the reversing valve 72. Refrigerant flows out of port 76 and along the refrigerant circuit 88 to the refrigerant-to-air heat exchanger 96, which acts as a condenser in the heating mode. In heating mode, the refrigerant-to-air heat exchanger 96, liquefies the refrigerant. The refrigerant then passes along the refrigerant circuit 88 along the liquid line 100 to the electronic expansion valve 94. The refrigerant is expanded and then passes through the water-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 84, which then cools the water circuit 86. The refrigerant then passes through the pipeline 82, through the bridge 74, and along the refrigerant circuit 88 back to the refrigerant-to-air heat exchanger 96. The water circuit 86 utilises the outdoor water coil 92 and fan 94 to increase the water temperature.

The term “dwelling” in this specification is taken to include the interior of an apartment or house and also its balcony, roof or basement.

In the present specification, the word “comprising” and its derivatives including ‘comprises’ and ‘comprise’ include each of the stated integers but does not exclude the inclusion of one or more further integers.

Reference throughout this specification to ‘one embodiment’ or ‘an embodiment’ means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearance of the phrases ‘in one embodiment’ or ‘in an embodiment’ in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more combinations.

In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described in language more or less specific to structural or methodical features. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to specific features shown or described since the means herein described comprises preferred forms of putting the invention into effect. The invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the proper scope of the appended claims (if any) appropriately interpreted by those skilled in the art. 

1. An air-conditioning system adapted for cooling or heating a dwelling, the system comprising: (a) a housing for a compressor for the air-conditioning system; (b) a head unit for cooling and/or heating the air; (c) a heat exchanger for changing the temperature of the air; (d) a medium for exchanging heat, wherein the housing, head unit and heat exchanger are physically separated within the dwelling but joined by pipelines.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the medium is water and/or refrigerant.
 3. The system of claim 1, further including a radiator for changing the temperature of the medium.
 4. The system of claim 2, wherein the radiator is a gas-to-air radiator or a water-to-air radiator.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the radiator includes a fan.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger is a water-to-gas heat exchanger.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the system also includes a water circulation pump for pumping water through the one or more counter flow heat exchangers.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the housing includes an electronic expansion valve to expand the medium.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the or each electronic expansion valve is bi-directional.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the system also comprises a reversing valve, located in the housing, to change the direction of flow of the refrigerant to heat or cool the dwelling.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the housing includes solenoid valves to control the flow of water and refrigerant for the air-conditioning.
 12. The system of claim 1, wherein the housing includes check valves for control of one-way flow of water and refrigerant in the pipes. 